Maya. Post-BDM. Mal and Freya argue, Hank and Zoe talk ... One more part to go in this title, but there'll be more. Thanks to everyone who comments, and please continue. I'm down on bended knee here, you know ...

Freya came out of the nursery to find Mal facing her. “He’s asleep,” she said, smiling.

“Good.” He didn’t smile back.

“Ah.” She closed the door and leaned on it. “We’re going to have one of those conversations.”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll be getting ready for bed while you tell me off.” She went to move past him, but he took her arm.

“I’d rather you didn’t. We need to talk. Properly. Not with you getting all naked and putting my mind onto other things.”

“Don’t you have any self-control?” she asked, teasing him.

“Just … don’t.”

She looked into his blue eyes, at the determination in them, and her forehead creased slightly. She nodded. “Okay. Can I sit down?”

“Surely.” He let go and she walked to the bed, forgetting to hold the limp back, lowering herself carefully to the mattress.

He noticed. “It still bothering you?” he asked, letting himself get side-tracked, just for a moment.

She glanced down at her hips. “I’m okay.”

“Not what I asked.”

“It’s getting better, Mal. And I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. As long as you’re sure.”

“I'm sure.”

“Good.” He took a deep breath. “So do you want to explain to me what all that was about?”

“All what?”

“Well, apart from the fact that Bethie said you knew about her … peeking –“

“Mal, that was –“

“I’m more concerned about why you don’t want River teaching her anything.”

She looked up at him, his arms crossed. “You being captain again?”

“Frey, don’t play games with me. Something’s going on, and I want to know what it is.”

She didn’t answer for a moment, just gazed up at him. Then … “Those two men on Ibis. The ones who attacked Kaylee. She killed them.”

“She did what?”

“Killed them. It was her.”

“I …” For once Mal was stuck for words.

“I’ve spoken to her, so has Jayne. Just now. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about it again.”

Mal’s jaw dropped. “Worry about it? Frey, she killed two unconscious men. Weren’t attacking or fighting, or even tracking us. She just broke their necks.” He stared at her. “You think I don’t have to worry about that?”

“She knows it was wrong.”

“Seems to me she prob’ly knew it was wrong when she did it.”

“Mal, she’s learned her lesson.”

“And two men are dead.”

“Two men who would have kidnapped Kaylee, to sell her,” Freya reminded him softly. “To someone who would have –“

“That ain't exactly the point!”

“Mal, no matter how we feel, we can’t any of us go back and change it. What River did was wrong, and she knows it. She’s sorry for it too. But she’s grown as a result.”

“Grown. Into what?”

“It’s about control, Mal. It’s always about that.”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t see evidence of it.”

“Of course there is. Back on Magdalene, when she …” Freya bit her tongue, but it was too late.

“When she … what?”

Freya looked down at her hands, studying them, noting the graze she’d acquired somewhere across one knuckle. “Well, when she and Hank went to get Serenity, there might have been a few guards on board.” She looked up, adding quickly, “But she only knocked them out. That was all.”

Mal stared at her. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but this was before the murders, right?”

“She didn’t murder them, Mal!”

“Tell me another word you’d prefer. Execution?”

“She thought she was protecting her family. You’ve done that.”

“Committed murder?”

“You killed Wing.”

Mal felt a hard lump of ice grow in his chest. “Because of what he did to you.”

“But you still did it. Just like I killed those men in the camp, because of what they tried to do to me.” She stood up, facing him, squaring off. “I'm just saying that we’re none of us blameless here.”

“Blame …” He took a deep breath, then another, but it didn’t help. “And why the diyu didn’t you tell me about this?” He was getting angrier. “Thought we weren’t gonna have secrets.” He stood with his hands on his hips.

“This wasn't my secret, Mal.” She tried to close her mind, not feel the rage coming off him in waves.

“And if she takes it into her mind to start carving people up? Like she did on the Marrakech? What then?”

“She won’t.”

“Can you honestly swear to that?”

“Dammit, Mal, I don’t know,” she said in exasperation. “You afraid you might have to shoot her?”

He glared at her. “To save you? Yeah.”

At his words she felt a strange calmness suffuse through her. There was a reason behind his anger, and she could understand it. Accept it. “Mal, that’s what she thought she was doing. Saving everyone else. Now she knows she doesn’t have to, that it was the wrong thing to do, and she’s moved on. Jayne’s helping.”

Still he didn’t break eye contact, then suddenly pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, almost crushing the air out of her. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.

She lifted her hands, pressing them against his back. “Don’t be,” she said as quietly. “Never be sorry for worrying about us.”

“About you.”

“I know.” She buried her face in his chest, luxuriating in feeling him so close, his heartbeat next to hers, his breath in her hair, and felt renewed. She loved him so much that sometimes it was difficult to think of anything else, to be impartial, but this, just being next to him, smelling him, tasting the very air around him, was what she craved most of all. She sighed.

“You okay?” he asked, aware his hands on her body wanted to do more than just hold. They wanted to strip the clothes from her, caress her, run his fingertips across the pale scars and bright tattoo, then take her so powerfully she would moan with delight …

“Shiny.” She smiled a little, knowing what was in his mind without having to look. She pressed herself into his burgeoning hardness. “So … am I taking your mind off what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Gorramit …” he groaned, unconsciously rotating his hips against her.

“Mal, don’t worry. I’ll teach Beth control. And River can help. Who knows, it might do her good too.”

“Oh, I know that. It was just …” He stroked her hip. “How come she’s a reader? I mean, Simon ain’t.”

“No, but River is.”

“But isn’t that due to what they did to her at the Academy?”

“She was always gifted.” Zoe thought back to the first time Simon had told them about his sister, standing there in the galley, right after the captain had released her from the cryobox … everything she did, music, maths, theoretical physics – even dance – there was nothing that didn't come as naturally to her as breathing does to us … She explained. “Probably her abilities came out that way. But I think she’s right; they didn’t make her psychic, just changed what was already there.”

“Like Freya?”

Zoe nodded. “Although I think with Frey it was more developed. She said once that her family were afraid of her, because of what she was.”

Hank was openly shocked. “But she was just a kid! That’s terrible!”

“It is.”

“So Ethan’s going to be –“

“Not necessarily. Freya was a twin, but her brother wasn’t gifted.” Zoe sighed. “’Sides, I think Kaylee probably had a hand in it too.”

“Kaylee?”

“Her gift with machinery might be classed as psychic.”

“You mean how she says Serenity talks to her.”

“Mmn.”

“So she could have ended up …”

She could feel the shudder run through him. “Didn’t happen, Hank. She’s down in her room with Simon, and it ain't gonna happen to Bethany either.”

“Is this what having kids means?” He stroked her hair. “Worrying about them all the time?”

“Pretty much,” Zoe agreed. “Why, you having second thoughts?”

“No.” He was very firm. “Never that.” He put his hand on her belly. “More’n anything I want us to have a family. Us. You and me.”

“So …” she prompted.

“Just … if I worry about Bethany like this, what am I gonna be like with ours?”

She smiled. “It’s probably gonna be hell, Hank. He’s gonna be locked up in his room for sixteen years just so’s we don’t have to be concerned he’s gonna fall into the compression coil.”

He grinned. “Only sixteen. Simon said Bethie ain’t gonna have to worry about sex for forty years.”

“She’s a girl, and he’s an idiot.” She nuzzled his neck.

“You? Calling our good doctor an idiot?”

“Bethie’s got the best people around her, dear. Nothing’s going to happen to her. Or ours.”

“Good.” He sighed as she pushed his collar to one side. “So … was that the general he again? When you were speaking about our baby there?”

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “Do you really want to know?”

He returned the gaze. “I … yeah, the truth is I do. Not that I want to do anything crazy like painting the walls pink or blue, or stuff like that, but … Zoe, I’ll be happy whatever sex our kid is.”

“But?”

He looked a little ashamed of himself. “I want a son, Zoe. A boy.” He patted her stomach.” I mean, if this is a girl I’ll be over the moon. But … a son, Zoe. When we found out the Cap and Freya were gonna have a boy, it felt right. And that’s what I’d like for us.”

“Do you want to ask Simon?”

“Well …” He shrugged. “Only if you want to know. ‘Cause, like I said, I’ll be happy either way.”

“We’ll ask him tomorrow,” she promised, and was rewarded by the widest grin she’d ever seen.

“Really?”

“Really.” She leaned over and nipped his neck. “Only I don’t think we’ll bother him right now.”

great addition here. love how hank's so like a little boy in his eagerness, and, of course, his protection of his family. i think he was a little unreasonable toward river... but love makes us do crazy things. and this chapter really cleared up my question about how bethie inherited river's psychic abilities. it makes a lot of sense in your verse, especially with kaylee. the series leaves so much to the imagination that it may well be the case there, too. and thanks BEB for explaining it as well. :-)

I really didn't "explain" anything," killwithbrain. I offered a plausible suggestion for how Bethany could have psychic abilities and Jane0904 seemingly took up the suggestion...or proved my suggestion right;)

And Jane0904! How fabulous are you?!? Utterly! Over the moon and to Mars from your usage of the idea that I suggested...even if it was only a mere confirmation, rather than a borrowing.!

Really thought Mal was spot-on with his argument with Freya. I could totally see Mal being "WTF!?" when it comes to having secrets like Bethie's abilities and River's little moment of vengeance coming to light. Though I get the feeling that Mal will still have a conversation with River about this, even though both Freya and Jayne have talked to her about it...

BEB

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Secrets - Part XXVRiver sighed unhappily, and suddenly all the emotions were too much. She turned and ran back towards the lake, not stopping as she reached the water’s edge but continuing on, diving as she got deep enough, letting the cold fill her ears and eyes as if it might wash all feelings from her.
Breathing out and seeing air bubbles rise to the surface, she allowed herself to sink to the bottom. She ignored the pressure in her lungs, only considering how easy it would be to just breathe in, and she could float forever.

[Maya. Post-BDM. River sees everyone and everything. Things are about to happen.]

Secrets- Part XXIV“My love, you must wake up,” Sam said so quietly it was doubtful anyone outside in the common area would have heard. “You must. If only to laugh at me and tell me how ridiculous I am. To touch my cheek and tell me I have to have faith. Please, Inara. Please.” A tear fell onto their hands, but he didn’t wipe it away, not caring if anyone saw.

[Maya. Post-BDM. Mal and River discuss life, and there are more visitors. This will all soon be coming to a head.]

Secrets - Part XXIIIJayne materialised from the darkness and wrapped his strong arms around the young doctor, pinning him. “Not a good idea. Mal’s as like to give you one last chance then shoot you. If you’d tried that on me, now, you’d be bleeding into the dirt, but then Mal always was a soft touch.” “Let me go!” “Nope. Less you’d like me to hand you over to Frey, and don’t go thinking that’s the easy option.”

Secrets - Part XXIISimon’s lips thinned. “The D17 might be the original problem, affecting a tiny number of those exposed, perhaps only one or two people of the same family, but the Anti-Pax wasn’t designed for it. Besides, that would be like using a hammer when I need a scalpel.”

[Maya. Post-BDM. Is there light at the end of the tunnel, or is it an oncoming Alliance cruiser?]

Secrets - Part XXI“I don’t want to be pitied!” The words were out before she could stop them. “Pity? You think that’s what’s going to go through their heads? Inara, I knew you were stubborn, but since when did you catch stupid?”

[Maya. Post-BDM. A little more of the fall-out from Inara's revelation, and a message from Monty. And yes, another chapter in just a few days!]

Secrets - Part XX“No. You don’t get to play word games with me, Inara. Mal, his crew … perhaps I can understand you not wanting to burden them with this. But me?” The pain was evident in his voice and now in his expression. “Me, Inara? I gave up everything to be with you. And I would again. But you don’t trust me enough to tell me something this important. Don’t you think I had a right to know what my child is doing to you?”

[Maya. Post-BDM. Inara's secret is revealed. And don't faint because I've posted another chapter in less than a year!]

Secrets - Part XIXFreya gazed at Inara, at the innate elegance of her simple blue tunic and full length skirt, her newly short hair making her look even more delicate, more elfin than usual. Still, that didn’t disguise the steel core. “Okay.” Freya nodded slowly. “When you’re ready. Just don’t leave it too late.”

[Maya. Post-BDM. Edging closer to finding out about another secret, this time Inara's.]

Secrets - Part XVIII“Can you be sure the parts aren’t tagged in any way? Because I can’t.” Freya shook her head, then put her hand on Monty’s arm. “We can’t afford to have this getting back to you. To us. Besides, if the ship isn’t found then I’m sure Harper Lecomb isn’t going to give up looking for his son. We’ve got enemies coming out of our ears – we don’t need to breed new ones.”

[Maya. Post-BDM. Randall Lecomb meets his final end, and Simon is still working on Inara's problem. Here's an extra long chapter to make up for the long, long delay in getting it to you!]

Secrets - Part XVII“Bored now,” River said and span on her heel. Her body moved out of the way of the bullet even as she lifted her leg, her foot connecting solidly with Linc’s jaw. [Maya. Post-BDM. While Inara's illness is no longer a secret, Mal and his crew go out to find Molly.]

Secrets - Part XVI“Then do it again.” Mal was aware he’d used his sergeant’s voice from the slightly wounded expression on his old friend’s face, and made himself take a step back. “It’s like you said, Monty – in the dark there’s no knowing where that girl’s got to. Like as not she took it into her mind to go visiting, got lost and mistook the time. She could be huddled up in someone’s barn right now, fast asleep.” [Maya. Post-BDM. Serenity heads back to Lazarus and Inara finds her sickness finally getting the better of her.]

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